Former Labour MSP for Glasgow
4. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Students Association of the University of the West of Scotland’s report, “Establishing a Stronger Summer Safety Net: Promoting how we can raise retention in post 16 education”. (S4O-05659)
Although summer support is an ambition for students, recent figures released by the Scottish funding council have revealed a £2.4 million shortfall in the term-time bursary funds available for college students. What is the cabinet secretary doing to address that shortfall in support of our further education students?
7. To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs will be attending any events in the Aye Write! festival in Glasgow. (S4O-05632)
Glasgow City Council is very proud to hold the Aye Write! book festival as it has done for the past 11 years. It has been observed that the festival has a low level of participation by people from ethnic minority communities—as participants and contributors. I know of several Glaswegians from diverse backgrounds who have published books in the past few years. I want to mention some of the...
It is an honour to speak on social security in Scotland. The new powers that the Scottish Parliament now has present a huge opportunity for us to build a fairer Scotland. A new list of historic decisions will be made for the people of Scotland. However, the complexity of benefits and of the whole area will be challenging. We need to ensure that any changes that we make are fair, suitable and...
Good evening, Presiding Officer. I congratulate Kenny MacAskill on securing this debate about Caring in Craigmillar. Kezia Dugdale MSP sends her apologies for not being able to join us and wishes the organisation the very best. She recognises the good work that it does. I join her in congratulating the organisation, its staff and its volunteers on the truly local community spirit that they...
3. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how the reduction in the local government budget settlement could impact on the economy and inequality. (S4O-05536)
The Scottish Government has added to the Tory cuts and has squeezed local councils further. Glasgow City Council is facing a real-terms cut of £64 million. I have already had several elderly minority ethnic constituents and minority ethnic organisations raise concerns about the tripling of the cost of their day centres. Subsequent job losses are also expected in the area. Does the cabinet...
